


In the Mad Mage's Mansion

by Elennare



Category: High Rollers Curse of Strahd, High Rollers DnD (Web Series)
Genre: Hand Jobs, Hate Sex, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:21:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26868829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elennare/pseuds/Elennare
Summary: "Xiros didn’t seem to notice Yesper shadowing him, striding along the hallways back towards the common areas. Where was he going? The library, perhaps? What was he planning? But no, he turned aside, towards - the bathhouse?"Late in the night, Yesper hears Xiros walking through the magical mansion. Suspicious of the dragonborn's intentions, he follows him - and things take an unexpected turn.
Relationships: Yesper/Xiros Mystan
Comments: 12
Kudos: 12





	In the Mad Mage's Mansion

**Author's Note:**

> I blame Trott. (And Tom, but mostly Trott.) You saw the rating and the tags, you know what you're getting into. (If I have missed tags that should be there, do tell me!)

Even in the surprising comfort of the mad wizard’s mansion, rest didn’t come easily to Yesper. He tossed and turned for what felt like hours, trying to quiet his worries enough to fall asleep… What was that noise outside his door? Rising from his four-poster bed, he pulled it open a crack - to see Xiros, armoured and armed, walking down the corridor. What was he up to? There was no time to don his armour, and if it came to a fight Yesper doubted the light leather would protect him much from Xiros anyway; he’d do better to rely on his agility, and on his magic. Yanking on his boots and grabbing the Sunsword and his rapier, he slipped out of his room and began to follow the dragonborn, moving as stealthily as he could.

Xiros didn’t seem to notice Yesper shadowing him, striding along the hallways back towards the common areas. Where was he going? The library, perhaps? What was he planning? But no, he turned aside, towards - the bathhouse? What could he possibly want there? Once the door had closed behind Xiros, Yesper walked quietly up and eased it open, peering in. Xiros was… setting down his weapons? Telling the omnipresent servants not to touch them? Was he just… bathing? Feeling distinctly foolish, Yesper tried to close the door again - but it creaked, and Xiros spun around at once. 

“Who’s there?” he growled, snatching up his sword and starting to walk towards the door.

There was nowhere to hide in the long corridor, and Yesper didn’t want to waste a spell on this. “It’s me,” he replied, opening the door fully and stepping into the room.

Xiros lowered He-Who-Grins, but didn’t lay it down again. “Why?”

“Heard you walking past my bedroom. I wanted to see what you were doing.”

Xiros snorted and gestured towards the huge bath. “Happy?”

“Maybe,” Yesper said defensively. “Why didn’t you bathe earlier, with the rest of us? Don’t tell me you’re shy.”

“I was a soldier, Yesper,” Xiros replied scornfully. “No place for shyness in the military, but weapons and armour come first.”

That… actually made some sense, Yesper had to acknowledge - not that he was about to admit it to Xiros. “You’d still have had time for it earlier, after cleaning your weapons. I did both, I even cleaned Dogsbody’s axe too… And what about Xiiki? Aren’t you worried about leaving her alone with us?”

“I told her I’d be here. And it’s not her you want to kill.”

“I have no intention of killing you, so long as you don’t hurt any of us. What, is that why you didn’t join us? Were you scared?” Yesper taunted him.

“Of you? You couldn’t take me,” Xiros said with a short laugh. 

Xiros’s confidence was irritating beyond belief, but Yesper had to admit it probably wasn’t misplaced. “Maybe not alone, but there were three of us,” he retorted. “Think you could take us all? Without your armour, without your master’s blade?”

Xiros narrowed his eyes. “Keep pushing, and you might find out. Go away, Yesper, I want to wash.”

Yesper folded his arms and leaned against the wall. “What if I don’t buy that’s all you’re doing, sneaking around in the middle of the night?”

“What else could I be doing in a bathhouse?” Xiros demanded.

“Well, if that’s all, you won’t mind if I stay, will you? You said you weren’t shy.” Yesper wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing any more, other than not backing down.

“You want to watch me bathe?” Xiros asked, looking smugly amused now. “Didn’t know you were so… disappointed I didn’t join you earlier.”

The intent behind his wording was clear, and Yesper hadn’t been thinking of that before, but he certainly was now. He’d thought Xiros attractive when they first met, had been drawn to his rugged strength, intrigued by his gruff manner. Then so much had happened in such a short time, and the attraction had been buried by wariness and distrust - only to resurface now at the other man’s words. 

“Don’t flatter yourself, dragonborn,” Yesper retorted, hoping the lie wasn’t showing on his face. 

Xiros snorted. “Sure, human. But you're not just standing there. Get in or get out,” he said, jerking a thumb first towards the bath and then towards the door. 

The sensible thing to do would be to leave. By now, Yesper was fairly sure Xiros wasn’t up to anything nefarious, that he really had just wanted to bathe. He wasn’t sure if Xiros was actually interested in anything more now, either; quite likely he’d just seized the chance of the obvious-in-hindsight opening Yesper had given him to mock him, without any thought of it going further. Sure, he’d offered ‘get in’ as an option, but maybe he wasn’t expecting Yesper to take it, was expecting him to just leave? Yes, leaving would be the sensible thing to do.

“Fine,” Yesper snapped, staying exactly where he was. “But put down your sword first.”

Xiros shrugged and placed the sword gently down by the wall, next to the rest of his weapons. “Happy?” he asked again. “I’ve told you before, I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Delighted,” Yesper muttered.

Without taking his eyes off him, Yesper laid down his rapier and the hilt of the Sunsword, half-ready to snatch them up again. Xiros had never been easy to read, but now with his ruby eyes it was harder than ever - no chance to catch a flicker of a glance that might be all the warning he had. Xiros made no move towards him or towards He-Who-Grins, though, stepping away from them both and turning back to unbuckling his pauldron. It looked like he’d only managed to undo a couple of straps before Yesper had interrupted him… For a split second, Yesper considered offering to help, but the thought of Xiros turning that infuriatingly smug look on him again stopped him. Instead, he pulled off his own boots and unfastened his shirt, waving away the servant who tried to take it and folding it carefully - just because it was clean, he told himself. That done, he glanced over at Xiros again. The dragonborn had removed his pauldron and weapon belts; as Yesper watched, he pulled up his chain shirt and leaned over, letting it slide over his bent head to the floor, leaving him in a quilted undershirt.

“How long does it take to get all that off?” Yesper asked.

“About as long as it takes you to take off a shirt and trousers, looks like,” Xiros retorted, looking him over and smirking. “Stalling?”

Damn the smug bastard. “Not at all,” Yesper replied.

Much as part of him wanted to, Yesper’s pride wouldn’t let him turn his back on Xiros now. Instead, he finished stripping and stepped into the huge bath, forcing himself not to hurry. Even more than before, Yesper wished he could see where Xiros was looking, but the ruby eyes still gave nothing away. The dragonborn just stood silent and motionless, watching him with that insufferable smirk, until he sat down in the water, then returned to the rest of his armour. Turnabout was fair play, Yesper decided, and frankly stared at him. Xiros undressed methodically, seeming completely unaffected by Yesper’s gaze. Yesper took it all in greedily, the broad shoulders, the flexing muscles under black scales… Xiros’s anatomy wasn’t too different to his own, he saw with some relief. He still wasn't at all sure how far this was going to go, but he'd know what he was doing if it went as far as he… hoped? Wanted? 

Naked now, Xiros paused a moment to take the soap a coral-encrusted servant offered, and order them all away. Then he stepped into the bath - neither right next to Yesper, nor particularly far from him - and began to wash, ignoring Yesper completely. Well, fair enough, Yesper thought - when he’d bathed earlier, nothing and no-one could have distracted him from the chance to finally be rid of the grime that covered him, of all the mud and blood on his hands. He’d let Xiros clean up in peace… he watched him, of course, but he didn’t speak. It was nice just to relax in the hot water, let it ease away some of his tension.

At last, Xiros laid the soap down and leaned back, looking towards Yesper. There was a long, increasingly uncomfortable silence - one Yesper was determined not to be the first to break.

“Well? Do you want to do this or not?” Xiros finally growled. 

“If you’re up for it,” Yesper drawled, trying to keep his posture relaxed, hide how pleased he was. “I was starting to wonder if you were all bark and no bite.”

“Thought you’d panic I was trying to kill you if I made the first move,” Xiros retorted with a snort.

Yesper just rolled his eyes at that. Without any further warning, he sprang forward, lightning-fast, to pin Xiros to the side of the bath, hands on his chest. He knew he wouldn't be able to hold Xiros there if the dragonborn didn't want him to; he was gambling that he would want to stay. Slotting a leg between Xiros’s, he pressed forwards - and oh, yes, Xiros was definitely aroused. 

“Looks like you are up for it,” he said - hardly his best line ever, but he didn’t care.

Xiros grinned and grabbed his ass, pulling him closer, so his own leg pressed into Yesper’s groin - all more gently than Yesper had expected from him, more careful. “Seems like you are too.”

The dragonborn was clearly waiting for Yesper to make the next move, which wasn’t what Yesper had expected - insofar as he had expected anything in this very unexpected night! There was his surprising carefulness, too, which didn’t feel to Yesper like the hesitation of inexperience, but rather like the caution of a man who was very aware of his own strength… Well, Yesper was more than happy to take the lead.

Keeping one hand on Xiros’s shoulder to anchor himself, Yesper began trailing the other downwards. He could feel what must be scars under his fingers, patches of misaligned scales, and followed them for a few moments, before continuing his descent. At last, his hand was just above Xiros’s groin; but rather than continue down to his cock, he drifted sideways to stroke the inside of his legs. As he did, he shifted his body as far as the other man’s grip would allow, grinding against Xiros’s thigh while pulling his own away - and smirked at him, making it very clear that he was doing it all deliberately. He wasn’t entirely sure how Xiros would react - would he take over and pull Yesper back into place? Grab his hand and put it where he wanted it? Or would he keep letting Yesper lead? Could Yesper possibly make him beg? 

Xiros glared back at him and held still, his harsh breathing the only sign of how much this was affecting him. Time to push him further, then, Yesper thought, and ran his hand swiftly through the water around Xiros’s cock, making it swirl. Xiros groaned, and his hands clenched, claws digging painfully into Yesper.

“Sorry,” Xiros muttered at Yesper’s wince, shifting his grip so it couldn’t happen again. His expression was genuinely apologetic, and for the first time in many days Yesper believed him without question.

“It’s okay,” he said, and repeated the motion, leaving his hand hovering, almost but not quite touching.

“Yesper…” it was half warning, half pleading.

It was enough, Yesper decided; it was more than he’d expected to get, really. Slowly, he closed the gap, wrapping his hand around Xiros’s cock. Xiros closed his eyes in pleasure, and for a moment Yesper could almost forget all the changes in him. In a kinder world, Yesper thought, he might have been asking Xiros questions about the scars he‘d traced. He might have been learning how a dragonborn would kiss. He might be doing this with at least a hope of love. 

Barovia had never been a kind world, and Yesper was a child of Barovia. It was better this way.

“I still don't trust you,” he hissed, even as he arched his back to press closer to Xiros.

“I don't trust you,” Xiros growled, thrusting into Yesper's grip.

Yesper had always been clever with his hands, and he put that cleverness to use now - varying his touch, running light fingertips down Xiros’s considerable length, squeezing him gently and more firmly. He watched Xiros as he did - what made his breath hitch? What made him growl and groan?

Xiros changed his grip again, started dragging one hand around Yesper’s hip towards his crotch. “Okay?” he asked.

Yesper hesitated a second. He’d just found out how sharp Xiros’s claws were, but he wanted - needed - to be touched so badly… “Just be careful with those claws.”

“Won’t hurt you. I swear,” Xiros replied, and again, Yesper believed him.

Xiros waited for Yesper’s nod before grasping his cock. Again, he was more gentle than Yesper would have expected, and while there was a slight natural roughness to his scaled palm, it was still smoother than the thigh Yesper had been pressing against. Yesper moaned at the touch, and Xiros smirked and began to work him more thoroughly - but still carefully, Yesper realized and appreciated.

Yesper knew he was getting close, but he’d be damned if he came before Xiros did. So he redoubled his efforts, grinning as Xiros’s movements became more jerky and uncoordinated. Xiros noticed what he was doing, of course, and tried to match him, but he was still hindered by the need for care with his claws. Yesper had no such limitation, and he pressed his advantage until Xiros came in his hand, throwing back his head with a guttural moan, and the euphoria of victory pushed him over the edge too. 

They leaned against each other for a few moments, breathing deeply, as they came down from the high. Then Yesper sighed and pulled away, looking vaguely around for the soap, still half-dazed with pleasure. The elemental servants hadn’t returned, but it didn’t take him long to find some. He washed and dried quickly, seeing Xiros do the same from the corner of his eye, as the atmosphere of the room began to grow awkward again. Yesper didn’t regret what had just happened in the slightest, but he didn’t know how to break the silence now, so he simply pulled on his clothes and picked up his weapons again.

Xiros had begun to dress too - was he going to put all his armour back on? If he was, Yesper would have to find something to say, he couldn’t stand here in silence all that time. But no, to his relief, Xiros only donned shirt and trousers, gathering the rest of his things in his arms, and nodded towards the door. 

“After you.” Yesper stayed where he was and waved him ahead; he didn’t really think Xiros was about to stab him in the back, but still. Anything to break this increasing awkwardness.

It worked; as so often happened, Xiros didn’t say anything, just snorted in annoyance, but his posture relaxed just a fraction as he walked through.

Together, they made their way back through the mansion, until they reached the hallway their bedrooms were on. Yesper’s door came first, and he stopped there, glancing quickly at Xiros but saying nothing. Xiros walked on to his own room without even a moment’s pause, and Yesper wasn't sure if he was relieved or disappointed. The dragonborn opened his door, then stopped. He half-turned to look back at Yesper for a moment, and gave a quick, curt nod of thanks. Yesper nodded back silently - what was there to say? This didn’t mean they liked each other any more than they had, trusted each other any more. It had just been a fleeting moment, a single bright spot in the darkness. In Barovia, that was always something to seize without question, to be thankful for. Turning away, Yesper went into his room, to sleep easily at last.


End file.
